k_a_webb_writingfandomcom-20200214-history
City: Seahorse Port
Seahorse Port is a major city nestled in the delta where the Mercurial River pours into the sea. It has a resident population of around 310,000. This primary nautical hub handles commercial and tourist traffic for Larnach to and from Mothar, Fasach, and Theas. A majority of the citizens work in mercantile, nautical, entertainment, or hospitality industries. Because of the proximity to river and seacoast, parts of the city flood periodically. The city was named for an infamous equine pirate queen, a half-zebra half-horse chimera whose travel magic made her impossible to capture. It retains a (somewhat justified) reputation as a den of iniquity. The residents are gregarious and tolerant almost to a fault. On the brighter side, Seahorse Port is also famed for its theatrical culture and its extensive shipyards. It's a bit like New Orleans, Louisiana. The city was founded by horses (40,000), a common race, with a mix of pirates and farmers. They brought in cows (34,000), mice (35,000), and sheep (32,000) to work for them so the city has all the prevailing races of Larnach. Local deer (27,000), seagulls (28,000), and moths (25,000) soon joined to flesh out the common races. The uncommon races include foxes (10,000), porcupines (8,000), raccoons (10,500), chimney swifts (13,500), vultures (9,000), and hermit crabs (11,000). Black widows are rare (500), as are chimeras (500). The North Quarter (which is much larger than a fourth of the city) holds many of the Larnachi races. The Mount, a rise near the middle of the city that rarely floods, houses the wealthy citizens, a majority of whom belong to the Larnachi hame. Seahorse Port also has enclaves from the other hames. Fasach holds the West Quarter. Many of these people are traders or mercenaries. They include zebras (prevailing; 3,700), guineas (common; 2,200), and parrots (uncommon; 1,700). Mothar holds the East Quarter. Many of these people are missionaries or entertainers. They include llamas (prevailing; 2,000), bats (1,000), matamatas (500) (common), jaguars (400), and quetzals (200) (uncommon). Theas holds the South Quarter, also called the Bayou because of its proximity to the coastal marsh. Most residents are descended from refugees, either from the Great War or later harsh conditions in Fasach. Now they typically work in entertainment, hospitality, or menial service. They include kangaroos (1,000), numbats (1,800) (prevailing), pup birds (700), goannas (500) (common), and platypi (uncommon; 300). Inish does not have enough people for even a neighborhood of its own, but is represented. There is a famous theatrical troupe consisting of chameleons (common) and lovebirds (rare). These are the races established as residents with enough population and/or fame to influence the city's culture. Because Seahorse Port is a big city and a major port, scattered families or individuals of pretty much every race have passed through or even settled at some point in time. Whether a given nonresident race is represented at a particular moment depends on the luck of the draw. There are about 10,000 citizens belonging to miscellaneous races. Consequently the architecture is a jumble of different cultures, ranging from ornate to dilapidated. To some extent the motifs cluster in each quarter's home style, but the boundaries have fluctuated over time and the city has caught fire or flooded more than once, so the divisions are trends rather than consistent zones. Most buildings are made from wood with brick or stone foundations to resist water damage; some consist entirely of brick or stone. A characteristic feature throughout local architecture is the use of twymetal, a rare material that can enhance halfweek magic. It has a distinctive peacock sheen over a medium gray base color. Another notable feature is that the city is truly three-dimensional, because several of its races can fly or glide. Tall buildings condense the footprint on scarce real estate; the upper stories and roofs have landing and launching platforms, along with stairs or ladders for ground access. Because the inhabitants tend to settle in neighborhoods roughly sorted by hame, that division often takes precedent in local politics for cooperation and conflict. Resident races cover all the urns, which allows the city to remain active all the time. Important services, major markets, and certain types of entertainment never close. The nightlife appeals to tourists, who often stretch outside their usual activity cycle while on vacation anyhow. This makes the culture pretty lax about people's circadian rhythm and cross-urn companionship. The tolerant environment reduces the tendency for urn-based disputes. All phyles are represented, with a jumble of shifting alliances. In such a mixed population, it's more common for individual race-to-race relations to flare up than for a conflict to drag in whole phyles. The overall laissez-faire atmosphere extends to interracial relationships. As a fairly direct consequence, residents also have a higher tolerance for chimeras. There have been some famous ones in the history of Seahorse Port, along with contemporary entertainers. The chimeras in the city include both crossbreeds and those with multiple races in their ancestry. They have a half-joking, half-serious title of "Chimera King/Queen" for the one(s) with the most ancestral races. That's who customarily leads the Cavalcade of Changes, a parade held on the last day of each season, featuring costumed performers and other displays of the city's many attractions. It offers a way to announce new releases for the forthcoming season. The many races and cultures in Seahorse Port have contributed to a fusion effect in the food. Local cuisine draws on both the river and the sea, including edible seaweeds as well as fish and shellfish. Because so many species of mammals are sentient, a lot of the omnivorous and carnivorous races rely heavily on seafood to provide the meat in their diet. Grain comes in from the breadbasket of central Larnach, augmented by exotic fruits and vegetables imported from other hames. Rice is also grown locally. So a frequent format involves pouring some flavorful blend of vegetables and/or meat over a bed of cooked grain. Herbivores also enjoy raw salads. Piquant spices help keep things fresh in the warm, moist climate. (This far south, the seasons are more like "sweltering," "slightly less sweltering," and "chilly with a chance of sleet.") Freezing rarely figures into food preservation or preparation here. A distinctive category consists of foods meant to be stored and chilled in double-walled ceramic jars submerged in moving water or damp sand. These include fresh mixes as well as fermented pickles, cheeses, and other products. Seahorse Port handles massive import/export traffic. A major bridge across the Mercurial River assembles just north of the city; Barge Bridge is, as the name suggests, essentially a pontoon bridge made from boats that can be joined for road traffic and then separated for shipping traffic. Imports include exotic foods and spices, rubber, jewels and jewelry, cultural materials, quality weaponry (Fasach), religious materials (Mothar), and sophisticated magical goods (Theas). Exports include seafood, liquor, ships, ceramics and glass, luxury arts and crafts, textiles, grain, livestock, metalwork and ore, timber, stone, and coal. Seahorse Port specializes in hypoallergenic tattoo inks, perfumes, dyes, stage makeup, and other cosmetics designed for sensitive skin to maximize the number of people who can use them. It's also known for training and sending out theatrical performers and support staff, along with manuscripts of plays and other entertainments. The largest mine of rare twymetal lies not far outside the city, making this material another important export. The government of Seahorse Port includes a city council and a mayor, enforced by city guards. Local authorities exercise some control over traffic but do not police either goods or people very tightly. Smuggling and other crimes are common; government corruption is an intermittent problem. Organized crime is only sort of organized in an environment that tends to prefer chaos over order, but various bosses make a valiant attempt at it. Category:Cities